Height Difference
by happykid
Summary: She was tall. Tall to the point that she was, somehow, taller, than Uchiha Sasuke. Who was tall too, but not that tall. Damn that.


Disclaimer: I don't own it. Damn.

Moi Musings: This is something like a companion ficlet to the Reason, although only those who read about the OCs before I deleted the chapters will know about some of the characters. But otherwise, it's okay, and if you don't like the pairing, heck, insert your own characters.

This is for **the angel ninja**! Yes, honey, this is for you. Thank you for supporting me so much! I know you wanted to see Sasuke and Kaede (ahem) kiss, but not yet, sad to say. This is as close as I could get, I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

Nagase Kaede was tall.

Tall to the point that she once had a height complex. She got over it, eventually, since her team never really did mind her.

Not _that_ much.

Reiko whined sometimes, about being towered over. Kenyu usually reminded her that she was, after all, short, and should face up to it, chibi-flat-chest. Reiko would whack him, hard, and it would turn into a scuffle that she and Sensei had to stop. Kenyu would then mention, vaguely, that she was _quite_ tall, ahem. Sensei would laugh and note that growth spurts could occur at any time, and anyway, face it, tall was sexy.

So Nagase Kaede was tall, and she never really minded.

* * *

Uchiha Sasuke was tall.

He was the tallest in his team, damn right about that, and he was quietly pleased about it. Quietly. He could tower over Naruto if he wanted to, but that was pointless, and a waste of his time to boot, although it was fun to see him get all huffyat being short. Sakura found it cool. So did a lot of other girls. Sensei laughed and noted that tall was good, and men should always be taller, and anyway, face it, tall was cool.

So Uchiha Sasuke was tall.

But not _that _tall.

And he hated that fact. Quietly.

* * *

Nagase Kaede was tall.

Tall to the point that she was, somehow, taller, than Uchiha Sasuke.

Who was tall too, but not _that_ tall.

Damn that.

So often, Sasuke would walk over to her and stand, straight as he could manage without being realized by anyone else (especially Kaede) that he was standing as straight as he possibly could (if that statement made any sense at all).

He would glance at her, stoic-expression and faint-blushed, and note the changing difference between their heights. She would look back into those shadowed-determination eyes with slight-puzzlement and sudden-curiosity, gently-arched-eyebrows and unspoken questions.

He would then blink, once, twice, thrice sometimes, when he was trying to calculate the almost-exact difference, in centimeters or inches, depending on his mood and which unit-of-measurement he felt like using. When his calculations were complete, he would turn around, still faint-blushed because he wasn't used to these thoughts, and beckon her with some slight movement, some way or another.

She would smile, because she knew exactly what he was doing, although she didn't know what _exactly_ for, although she occasionally wondered vaguely and hoped, _wanted_ to know, because ninjas should always know the smallest, most-insignificant details. She never pressed him because he never pressed her, and they respected each other's privacy, because that was how they were like.

She wouldhurry a little, because he would be walking away and not waiting for her, because he knew that she could, _would_ catch up, even if he had been running or sprinting or going at full-speed, because as much as they tried, they could never outrun each other, but they didn't mind, since that was their level of skill, being on par with each other, and they respected that fact.

Then they'd be walking, side by side, his hands in his pockets, hers clasped behind her back. They wouldn't hold hands, because that was restricting and awkward and rumor-spreading. They were still unsure as well, so they kept to themselves and just walked, quietly because he liked the silence and becauseshe didn't mind, because they were side by side and that was enough.

He would glance at her and she would smile back, and occasionally he'd feel like telling her right then, right there. But he wouldn't because it wasn't time yet, so he would just smile back, slightly, not exactly a smile but not a frown either.

He would tell her, eventually, because he was almost taller than her, and when he was it would finally be the time.

But for now, he would wait, because he knew that she would.

* * *

Review. When you do, you'll growtaller.

It's the review button that does it. Seriously.


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